Well, we came back from our beach vacation this past weekend to find out that our building permit application for the garage/studio was approved. We were pleasantly surprised, especially considering it only took a week, and we had been warned that this process could take much longer. I'll not gloat too soon though. We have a long process and many permit applications yet ahead; but at least we can get this ball rolling. I've got to get some painting and packing done today, but soon I will share my little floorplan I've worked out for my workspace. Meanwhile, here's a related question I've just received from a fellow artist, followed by my response:

Q: Just moved into my new home. I have a north facing  wall with lots of windows and storage space, now I need a wall paint  color... any suggestions???

-J.A.

Dear J.A.-

I am just getting started building a studio, so this is a topic I need to investigate myself. My main thought is to do something neutral. White can tend to make the light bounce around a lot, especially if you have lots of windows. You might check out artist Casey Child's blog post about the paint color he picked. A lot of portrait painters are into this neutral gray-green. I have no problem with the hue but I'm a little afraid the value shown at the above link would be too dark for me. But it could just be my monitor or his photos --or it could be that the walls don't need to be as light as I think they should be (Any thoughts, anyone?) In any event, whatever color I am considering, I'll try out in swatches in my own space first. Paint colors can look very different from one location to the next.